Tank Bigsby surprised everybody and disappointed many fantasy football managers last week when he matched Travis Etienne Jr. for carries with 12. Bigsby was actually more efficient than Etienne with his 12 carries, taking them for 73 yards, including a 26-yard run.
With Bigsby having been one of the more popular names on the waiver wire this week, should fantasy managers be throwing him into their starting lineup this week?
Should I Start or Sit Tank Bigsby in Fantasy this Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Bigsby is a borderline fantasy option this week with a projection of 6.5 fantasy points. It is hard to project Bigsby to have another big game, given that he only has 205 rushing yards in his career, and 73 of them came last week.
The other problem here is that the Jaguars will be going up against a good defense in the Browns. However, the windy and rainy weather conditions could make this a game where the Jaguars’ decide to keep the ball on the ground a lot more than we may have initially projected.
Fantasy Outlook for Bigbsy vs. Browns
In Bigsby’s brief time on the field last week — 17 offensive snaps — he showed that he is a player fantasy managers should keep an eye on going forward.
Bigsby led the Jaguars with 73 rushing yards on 12 carries, the same number of attempts as Etienne. However, when you break down his performance in Week 1, it should be noted that 43 of his 76 yards came on two separate runs.
As well, Bigsby simply isn’t an option to catch passes out of the backfield. He did not have a single target in Week 1, and last season in 17 games, Bigsby was targeted just four times with one reception to show for it.
While he may at some point overtake Etienne in the Jaguars’ backfield this season, that time is probably not right now.
12 rushes for 73 yards for Tank Bigsby in Week 1.
– 22 yards before contact
– 51 yards after contact pic.twitter.com/PnioF7qOqZ— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 11, 2024
It would be a mistake to completely write Bigsby off after Week 1. He was very good after contact, and if that continues, he will only earn himself more opportunities. This week will be very telling, as Bigsby was heavily used on a relatively low snap count last week.
If we see that snap count increase this week, or see him in on a higher proportion of passing snaps, then we may start to get excited going forward. This is one of those “what would upset me more” scenarios. Personally, I would rather have Bigsby go crazy on my bench than risk him giving me a low score in my lineup.
Of course, it all depends on what options you have, so be sure to check out our PFN Start/Sit tool to compare your personal options when it comes to starting Bigsby or someone else this week.